Jeremy Clarkson was left gobsmacked on Tuesday's episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire after a contestant lost the second largest sum of money in the show's history. Product manager Jen Essery Lillikakis from Stratford gambled away £186,000 on a question about the fastest object in sport.
Jen had been hoping to win a honeymoon for herself and husband Kyri. She sailed through early rounds, using lifelines wisely to reach the £250,000 question on Greek mythology. However, at the £500,000 question she had no lifelines left and faced the choice of walking away with £250,000 or gambling for the half-million.
The question asked which of a tennis ball, ice hockey puck, badminton shuttlecock or table tennis ball had travelled at over 260mph in a competitive game. Clarkson warned her she would lose £186,000 if wrong. She chose the puck, but the correct answer was shuttlecock. The audience gasped as she lost her safety net.
Clarkson told her: 'Oh my god you have just lost £186,000! It is unbelievable you took a punt on that. You need a bravery award for that.' Jen replied: 'Well, that's fine. I have won £64,000.' She now holds the title of second biggest loser in the show's history, behind Nicholas Bennett who lost £375,000 on the million-pound question last year.
The episode also featured clinical researcher Arunan Jeyakumar from Newbury Park, who departed with just £1,000 after struggling with basic questions. He needed Ask the Host to identify a ballcock as part of a toilet cistern, and Ask the Audience to name chives as an allium family member. Clarkson joked he had 'come on the wrong show' given his poor general knowledge.
